Page 30 of #Lovestrong

Declan

Jackson sits with me in the hall outside the cafeteria and we talk about the upcoming football tryouts. We've both been on Varsity since Freshman year, so it's not like we're worried about making the team. I already have my scholarship, but Jackson always waits until the last minute to set things up, so this year he's finally got college scouts coming to check him out. It's his last shot to nab a full ride. Hell, even a partial ride will be good at this point. He's got to do something though.

Every few seconds, I glance at the hallway by the front office, waiting for Lena to show up. I'm anxious. She didn't mention what errands she had this morning, and I'm worried about her. She hasn't had any instances of cutting since the last one, which was almost a month or so ago and I'm hoping something hasn't happened. She's opened up so much more than I expected her to after I first met her, and I wish she knew how incredibly proud of her I am. Even though we don't talk about it, I know she's trying to get over whatever issues she has, but I see the pain in her eyes sometimes.

Like when she's just sitting next to me, staring off into space, and there's this deadness in her eyes. Like she's next to me but in her mind, she’s somewhere completely different. I just wish I knew where the hell she went in those moments.

I unzip my book bag and pull out the soccer tryout flyer I got from the office this morning. I don't know how long it's been since Lena played, but I want to see if she'll consider trying out. She gets so animated when she talks about the team she was on back in Virginia. She misses it, I know she does.

I look up from the flyer toward the hallway, and my heart stops. She’s standing in the doorway staring down at her phone, her face scrunched up in irritation. There are tears in her eyes, but now I get to kiss them away. I don't have to stop myself anymore.

"Lena," I say loudly, getting up from the floor.

She looks directly at me and blinks a few times, like she's trying to clear her mind. I jog over to her and grab the sides of her head, bringing my lips down to hers. I meant to be gentle, but my kiss is way more forceful than intended. I just missed her so damn much.

She stiffens for a moment, but then her hands slide around my neck and into my hair. When her tongue touches mine, it's like someone hooked me up to a high-powered generator, and it takes all my restraint not to run my hands down her body just to see how every inch of her feels under my hands.

"That's inappropriate," a hollow, snarky voice says just behind Lena.

I gently pull away from her and look over her head to find my sister and Myra standing there, both their arms crossed over their chests, with looks of contempt on their faces. I roll my eyes and run my fingers through Lena's hair before letting her go. To my surprise, she reaches out and laces her fingers with mine before she turns around.

"Your existence is inappropriate," I say, surprised at my own ignorance. Usually, I ignore Darcy and her unending amounts of stupid, but something about her taking a jab at Lena pisses me off more than usual. I glance at Lena and she shows no signs of being uncomfortable or upset. That alone makes me more nervous.

"That's a rude thing to say to your twin, Declan," Darcy says, smiling at me in a sinister way then turning her eyes to Lena.

"Yeah, too bad I wasn't one of those fetuses who ate the other one in the womb."

"Declan," Lena whispers, looking up at me with a tight smile. "That's enough."

"Yeah, Declan, listen to your girlfriend." Darcy rolls her eyes as she and Myra snicker.

"You know," Lena says, letting go of my hand to wrap her arm around my waist, "I'm surprised. Being Declan's twin, I thought you'd be prettier."

I laugh so hard my sides hurt as Darcy and Myra's mouths both drop open. I had no idea my girlfriend had this kind of sass hiding in her. Oh God, this might be the best thing to ever happen.

Jackson pops his head around the corner, a mock look of pain on his face. "Daaaammmmnnnnnn. Burn!"

Lena chuckles as she turns and pulls me through the doorway, back toward the cafeteria, my sides still aching from the laughter.

Once we're sitting against the wall outside, I lean over and kiss her again. She smiles at me and sighs. "I missed you this morning, baby. Where were you?"

She looks down at her hands, her body tensing just a little. "I, uh, had an appointment with a therapist."

I glance over at Jackson, who’s staring at her with wide eyes. I shake my head slightly, warning him to keep his mouth shut. "Hey." I tilt her head up so she looks me in the eyes. "I think that's a great idea."

"Yeah?" She bites her bottom lip and just that little movement turns me on. This girl is killing me.

I kiss her again and cup the side of her face. "Yeah."